“It never seemed—” she sputtered, unable to finish her sentence. “There’s an entire country’s worth of business next door, and you never thought it might be helpful to learn to speak the language?!”
“Well, I, erm, it never came up,” he answered, flustered. He looked around nervously for a moment before his face lit up as an idea came to him. “That’s one of the many things that makes you so valuable as a business partner! Now that we’re working together, our business opportunities span across three different countries!” He flashed a toothy smile, clearly satisfied with his recovery.
“Oh, so we ARE business partners after all?” she countered loudly. I silently excused myself from the conversation as they continued to bicker back and forth, chuckling quietly. Joining Hana by the tiny campfire, I settled down and took another bite of my breakfast.
“You know, Lia, we could—” I started, realizing halfway through my thought that Lia was no longer in camp. “Hana, you wouldn’t happen to know where Lia went, would you?”
“She wandered off as soon as I gave her some breakfast,” she laughed, pointing off behind the wagon. “Somewhere in that direction, I think.”
“I’ll go track her down,” I replied. A quick pulse of Detection placed her only a few dozen yards away in the direction Hana had indicated, obscured by a line of trees. She was crouched next to one of the giant trunks, delicately observing a patch of flowers growing in the shade. I brushed by a similar plant as I made my way towards her through the clearing; the petals drooped like a mass of coiled springs from a fuzzy central bulb, all colored in bright yellows and oranges. They emitted a pleasant perfume that, mixed with the dewy morning air, nearly made me forget we had just traveled through heavy snow for a week.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said before I came into view. “I’m not sure if it’s because of everything we’ve gone through recently, but Lybesa just feels more magical than Kaldan ever did. More...wonderful.”
“We’ve been here for less than a day. Imagine what we’ll find tomorrow, or next week, or next year,” I smiled. “I’ve got to admit, your father was right. Lybesa is beautiful this time of year.”
She hopped forward and landed gracefully in front of me, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Next year, huh?” A coy smile spread across her face. “So you’re planning to be here a while?”
“I’m here for as long as you are,” I answered. “Once we get your parents set up in their new home, we’re free to do whatever we want. We could explore the rest of Lybesa, head north to the Doramese mountains, find our own place to live, whatever you want. I owe you some adventures, after all.”
She laced her fingers together behind my neck and pulled herself in closer. “Our own place to live?”
“Did you plan on living with your parents for the rest of your life?” I laughed. “Even the greatest adventurers need a place to call home. Plus, that’s sort of an adventure of its own, don’t you think? Finding the perfect place, getting the materials, building it all by hand,” I listed dreamily, lost in the amber reflecting pools of her eyes, “maybe with a garden, and a little shed for blacksmithing.”
“And a pond to splash around in during the summer,” she added, “and a big sparring ring.”
I leaned forward and pressed the tip of my nose against hers. “Is that what you want?”
Her eyelashes caught on mine as she blinked rapidly and tilted her face upwards. Just as I closed my eyes for a kiss, she dashed away and left me standing awkwardly by myself. Standing a few feet away, she leaned forward with her hands behind her back and an impish smirk curling her lips. “I think that’s what you want,” she teased. “You’ll have to wait and see if that’s what I want.”
I shook my head and laughed. “Your wish is my command.”
“That’s right!” she crowed triumphantly. “Don’t you ever forget it!” With a wicked cackle, she skipped back towards camp, pausing at my side to plant a quick kiss on my cheek. “I love you, Lux.”
“And I love you, Lia,” I answered, looping my arm with hers as we began our walk back.
She sighed contentedly and tipped her face up towards the rising sun. “You know,” she started after a few moments of silence, “I haven’t slept in over a day.” The statement somehow evoked a long, loud yawn to illustrate her point. “I think I’ll fix that.”
We reached the wagon together just as the Corells were preparing to leave, and we all piled into the back apart from Marin, who had chosen to drive for the day. I sat on the floor across from Hana and Marten, allowing Lia the space to stretch out on a bedroll with her head in my lap. My fingers ran through her hair and scratched her scalp in slow circles, and she quickly faded into a deep sleep.
“Hana, about our conversation earlier,” I started when I was certain Lia was well and truly unconscious. I spoke in a hushed tone, which instantly seemed to clue Hana in to my intentions. “I thought now might be a good time to talk about...all that stuff.”
Her rounded, fuzzy ears perked up as she leaned forward excitedly. “Of course!” she whispered, matching my volume level. “Are you sure she’s asleep, though?” I nodded, and she clapped her hands softly. “Okay. I think the best place to start would be with—”
“What are we whispering about?” Marten asked without making any effort to whisper. Hana whirled around to slap his knee and hissed something too quietly for me to hear, and he held up his hands defensively. “Alright!” he whispered, his eyes wide and flashing with a twinkle of amusement.
When she turned back to face me, Hana’s
